Sunk by one of the luckiest torpedo shots in that entire war.

DjangoStonereaver: All the more impressive because it wasn't originally in the script,
but was improvised by Shaw onset.

Seriously? That's farking bad ass.

from the IMDB goof listing for Jaws:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In Quint's Indianapolis story, he says the ship was on its way back from delivering the atomic bomb, from the island of Tinian to Leyte. In fact, the Indianapolis, after having delivered a part of the bomb at Tinian, returned to Guam, where it lay over for two days before departing for its next mission to Leyte - an entirely separate mission. Further, Quint states that they didn't see the first shark for half an hour. This is incorrect from statements of survivors, and especially considering the fact that the Indianapolis was hit by torpedoes at 12:02 a.m., July 30, 1945. Even at dawn, the men suffered photophobia from the sun reflecting off the oil which covered them and the water. Further, there was no shark attacks on day one after the sinking. Also, the statement by Quint that no distress signal was sent is wrong, since the Indianpolis, on a new mission after having successfully delivered its cargo to Tinian and returned to Guam, was no longer under radio silence and did indeed send a distress signal. These three errors are commonly misstated, as the urban legend became that the Indianapolis was sunk upon its return from delivering the bomb.

/// It's an entirely different kind of mission!

DjangoStonereaver: One of the most chilling scenes, and affecting performances, in
movie history.

All the more impressive because it wasn't originally in the script,
but was improvised by Shaw onset.

Wrong. Read "The Jaws Log" (pp 207-209, which are readable at Amazon). The speech was worked on by many people, including Jaw's author Peter Benchley, Howard Sackler, John Milius, Carl Gottlieb (credited with Benchley as author of the Jaw's screenplay and author of the Jaw's Log), Steven Spielberg and actor Robert Shaw. There were many drafts. Shaw did do the final draft, which he read "almost verbatim, the speech that appears in the movie" to them one night in "early in June, 1974." The scene was filmed on two days, June 11th and 12th 1974. On the 11th, Shaw had drunk too much at lunch to perform the speech accurately. He did it over sober the next day. The final cut includes shots from both days.

It most definitely was not improvised.

I served on the USS Indianapolis (SSN697) submarine. Our patch served tribute to this ship and it's crew.

Some members of the crew came to Pearl Harbor to toss a wreath out at sea A couple of them felt comfortable enough around us bubbleheads to tell some stories. It still gives me goosebumps to even think about.

And they ALL had nothing but good things to say about their captain (who was shiat on by the Navy).

Some of the toughest SOB's I have ever met.

Walker: I'm sure all three commanders were court-martialed. Right? Right?

IIRC, the Indy's captain was the only one disciplined by the navy, and it seems to have haunted him until he took his own life.

FlashHarry: wasn't he exonerated posthumously? i remember some kid looked into it, inspired by the famous jaws speech, and found that he wasn't negligent.

Yes, he was. And as I mentioned above, the actual crew members NEVER felt their captain did anything wrong and they felt (at least the one's I talked to) he was railroaded.

FlashHarry: wasn't he exonerated posthumously?

In 2000.

I've thought about getting a tatoo of that speech. It would have certain letters darker so that if you stood back a distance it would contain the image of a shark.

Never figured out how to do it properly though. It would be pretty big too.

and that's why I'll never put on a lifejacket again

Like a doll's eyes...

JC

Here's to swimmin' with bowlegged wimmen.

Discovery Channel did a documentary about the Indianapolis for Shark Week. They concluded that it wasn't primarily sharks that killed the men in the water, but lack of drinkable water and exposure to the sun. They started hallucinating and drowned. The sharks took the dead or the almost dead. There were plenty to choose from.

I think that makes it worse... the men are in the water, cooking and freezing for hours on end, hallucinating and watching sharks haul off their dead buddies.

The stories about the men who were hallucinating so much that they removed their life jackets and dried to dive for the land they saw just under the water were pretty haunting.

The stories about the men who tried to drink seawater were also terribly sad.

There is a beautiful memorial in Indianapolis near the downtown canal and whitewater park.

There are also a lot of names on that memorial. A lot.

My Grandfather was in the navy during WW2. Do any of you know if there are records I can find that will tell me where he served? All of my Grandparents are dead as well as my Mom so I really have no way of knowing family wise.

I realize this is the internet and you can find anything, but I guess I just don't know where to look.

From a haiku thread last year:

The Indianapolis Story In Haiku Verse


Madly drunk, we sang
"Show me the way to go Home"
Then the shark hit us.

Tell me all about
The Indianapolis
that story kicks ass

Hooper, that is from
the Indianapolis.
"You were on that ship?"

Japanese sub slammed
Two torpedoes in our side.
Down in twelve minutes

We saw the first shark
in half an hour; a tiger,
a thirteen footer.

You tell by lookin'
From the dorsal to the tail
well, we didn't know.

Our mission secret
No distress signal was sent
Not listed for a week

Very first light, chief
The sharks come cruisin', hungry
We formed in tight groups.

The shark ate a man,
he'd start poundin' and screamin'
And the shark he looks...

right into your eyes.
He's got lifeless eyes, black eyes
They're like a doll's eye.

Until he bites ya
And those black eyes roll over
That high pitch screamin'

The ocean turns red
In spite of the poundin' they
Rip you to pieces.

Y'know that first dawn
we had lost a hundred men
about six an hour

And how many sharks?
Don't know, maybe a thousand
Swimming all around

Thursday morning I
Bumped into a friend of mine
Thought he was asleep

Reached to wake him up
Bobbed up and down in the sea
He'd been bit in half

The fifth day, Hooper
Lockheed Ventura saw us
Swung low and saw us

And three hours later
A big fat PBY comes down
starts to pick us up

And that was the time
When I was the most frightened
Waiting for my turn

Eleven hundred
Men went into the water
Three-sixteen come out

The sharks took the rest
Of them, June the twenty-ninth
Nineteen forty five.

Farewell and adieu
to you fair Spanish ladies
Farewell and adieu...

Subby says "June the 29th, 1945" Does it bother anyone else that the Indianopolis sank on "On 30 July 1945, shortly after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb"? Only missed it by a month and a day.

/just sayin'

Ella_Minnowpee: Subby says "June the 29th, 1945" Does it bother anyone else that the Indianopolis sank on "On 30 July 1945, shortly after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb"? Only missed it by a month and a day.

/just sayin'

i am not bothered by this.

sad story indeed. May God be with those sailors especially the survivors.

Pucca: My Grandfather was in the navy during WW2. Do any of you know if there are records I can find that will tell me where he served? All of my Grandparents are dead as well as my Mom so I really have no way of knowing family wise.

I realize this is the internet and you can find anything, but I guess I just don't know where to look.

Here. Good hunting.

I don't understand why the headline says June 29 but the wiki article says July 30.

Ella_Minnowpee: Subby says "June the 29th, 1945" Does it bother anyone else that the Indianopolis sank on "On 30 July 1945, shortly after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb"? Only missed it by a month and a day.

/just sayin'

Subby was quoting the speech from Jaws. They got the date wrong, as is mention a few times already in this thread.

Ella_Minnowpee: Subby says "June the 29th, 1945" Does it bother anyone else that the Indianopolis sank on "On 30 July 1945, shortly after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb"? Only missed it by a month and a day.

/just sayin'

He's using the date that Quint gave in his speech.

oldebayer: Sunk by one of the luckiest torpedo shots in that entire war.

What was particularly lucky about it? I honestly have not heard a detailed account of the attack.

So what's with the June 29th date in the headline?


I'm sure I'm the first to notice this...

Leopold Stotch: What was particularly lucky about it?

it was stuffed with rabbit feet.

Approves.

Leopold Stotch: oldebayer: Sunk by one of the luckiest torpedo shots in that entire war.

What was particularly lucky about it? I honestly have not heard a detailed account of the attack.


Nothing, from what I've read. One of the charges against Captain Charles McVay was not evading or some shiat. The commander of the sub that sunk them said it wouldn't have mattered - he had that ship cold...

mediablitz: FlashHarry: wasn't he exonerated posthumously? i remember some kid looked into it, inspired by the famous jaws speech, and found that he wasn't negligent.

Yes, he was. And as I mentioned above, the actual crew members NEVER felt their captain did anything wrong and they felt (at least the one's I talked to) he was railroaded.

Wiki implies that as well. Clinton (Bill) signed his exoneration papers in 2000. About 32 years too late, though.

Lt. Cheese Weasel: Shark Megafecta in play today.

Completely inappropriate for the occasion, I know, but for some reason, I wanna caption that pic "Hey Stop! That tickles!"

/Grandpa and Dad were both in the Navy.

demanton: Walker: I'm sure all three commanders were court-martialed. Right? Right?

IIRC, the Indy's captain was the only one disciplined by the navy, and it seems to have haunted him until he took his own life.

Captain Charles B. McVay, III, U.S.N., has been brought to trial by General Court Martial. He was acquitted of failure to give timely orders to abandon ship. He was found guilty of negligence in not causing a zigzag to be steered. He was sentenced to lose one hundred numbers in his temporary grade of Captain and also in his permanent grade of Commander. The Court and also the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet recommended clemency. The Secretary of the Navy has approved these recommendations, remitted the sentence, and restored Captain McVay to duty.

The Secretary of the Navy has given Commodore N.C. Gillette, U.S.N., a Letter of Reprimand, which will become part of his permanent official record.

The Secretary of the Navy has given Captain A.M. Granum, U.S.N., a Letter of Reprimand, which will become part of his permanent official record.

The Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet has given Lieutenant Commander Jules C. Sancho, U.S.N.R., a Letter of Admonition, which will become part of his permanent official record.

The Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet has given Lieutenant Stuart B. Gibson, U.S.N.R., a Letter of Reprimand, which will become part of his permanent official record.

Barnstormer: How did I miss a haiku thread? That's awesome!

Leopold Stotch: oldebayer: Sunk by one of the luckiest torpedo shots in that entire war.

What was particularly lucky about it? I honestly have not heard a detailed account of the attack.

Nothing at all. That was just one of the bogus charges against Capt. McVay (that he didn't use evasive maneuvers as he should have).